Jake Guentzel was arguably the biggest prize at this year's NHL trade deadline. This story from THN's Archive profiled Guentzel as he jumped from the AHL to the Pittsburgh Penguins and a Stanley Cup win.
Vol. 70, No. 12, March 6, 2017The biggest trade at the NHL deadline arguably was the Carolina Hurricanes’ addition of veteran winger Jake Guentzel. And in this feature story from The Hockey News’ March 6, 2017, edition – Vol. 70, Issue 12 – writer Dhiren Mahiban analyzed Guentzel in the early days of his professional career.
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Guentzel was selected in the third round (77th overall) of the 2013 draft, but by 2017, he’d established himself as an NHL talent. He won the Stanley Cup in his first season as an NHLer as well. But his half-season in 2016-17 in the AHL was key to his development.
“The more responsibilities we gave him, the more he took, and he’s just been going uphill,” said then-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Clark Donatelli. “There’s more to his game as he develops and gets stronger and gets more games under his belt.”
Guentzel got to see the Penguins’ first Cup win in their back-to-back Cup championships as an outsider, but he did see youngsters Conor Sheary, Matt Murray and Bryan Rust graduate from the AHL to contribute in Pittsburgh’s 2016 Cup victory. And Guentzel’s talents turned out to be key to the Pens winning back-to-back championships.
“You see what they did last year, it’s special,” Guentzel said of Pittsburgh’s youngsters. “You look up to those guys like that and want to try and do the same thing.”
BABY PENGUIN GROWING QUICKLY
Vol. 70, No. 12, March 6, 2017
By Dhiren Mahiban
Jake Guentzel admits he wouldn’t be the player he is today if it wasn’t for the nearly two months he spent with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last spring.
Following his junior season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the 22-year-old center joined the AHL Penguins and gained experience that help put him on the fast track to the NHL. “It was huge getting my feet wet,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect. Now, I just kind of know a bit more and know what I have to do to get a bit better.”
In 11 regular season games with the AHL club last season, Guentzel, a 2013 third-round round pick (77th overall), registered two goals and six points. He followed up with an impressive playoff performance, tallying 14 points in 10 games. “The more responsibilities we gave him, the more he took, and he’s just been going uphill,” said Wilkes-Barre coach Clark Donatelli. “There’s more to his game as he develops and gets stronger and gets more games under his belt.”
Now in his first full pro season, Guentzel is among league leaders in scoring with 21 goals and 42 points through 33 games. That leads the team by a wide margin, despite fewer games. And he was selected for the AHL All-Star Game. “He’s a special player and we’re fortunate to have him,” Donatelli said.
Often knocked for his lack of size – 5-foot-10, 175 pounds – Guentzel has acquitted himself nicely in the AHL. He’s smart positionally, not afraid to go into corners and is crafty with the puck. He considers himself more of a playmaker than a shoot-first player, but when he sees an opportunity he’s not afraid to use utilize excellent release.
Donatelli isn’t concerned about Guentzel’s size and has gladly handed the kid plenty of responsibilities. Guentzel quarterbacks the team’s first power play unit, kills penalties and though he’s a natural center, he also plays the wing. “We haven’t given him too much, we haven’t given him enough,” Donatelli joked. “The more you give him, the more he’s going to take. Just really good to see his development. He’s off to a great start.”
Guentzel’s strong rookie season earned him two call-ups to Pittsburgh, where he had four goals and seven points in 10 games while playing left wing on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. “Pretty exciting, pretty crazy to think about,” Guentzel said.
Seeing young players such as Conor Sheary, Matt Murray and Bryan Rust graduate from Wilkes-Barre to contribute in Pittsburgh’s Cup victory last season has Guentzel motivated to be an NHL regular. “You see what they did last year, it’s special,” he said. “You look up to those guys like that and want to try and do the same thing.”
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